The O.C. - The Complete Series DVD Review

A piece of pop culture history gets its due.

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November 29, 2007

There may be no show that better represents the fickle nature of pop culture, teenage fandom and trends than The O.C.. It's hard to believe that the show only debuted in 2003 and is now already a memory, but than again, that's a lifetime for a teenager.

When The O.C. debuted, most assumed it was the "new Beverly Hills: 90210". After all, they shared the same network (FOX) and the same focus on teenage characters, not to mention a similar west coast/privileged setting. But The O.C. quickly proved to be a different animal - Yes, it was a teen soap, but it was a far more engaging and interesting one than 90210, and I say that as someone who watched more 90210 than I should admit.

Best of all The O.C. was very funny; intentionally so it should be noted. Creator Josh Schwartz, only 26 when the show began -- the youngest creator/showrunner in network television history -- was smart enough to know that audiences were too savvy these days to present a straight forward soap of this sort. So while the show had plenty of the bigger than life storylines and all the sex, violence, death, drinking, drugs, mayhem and more one expects from this genre, it did much of it with a wink to the audience.

But let's backtrack a bit and set the scene, shall we? The O.C. told the story of Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie), a down on his luck kid from Chino, California who got into trouble with the law. Enter Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher), a public defender assigned to Ryan's case. A kind and caring type, Sandy decides to bring Ryan to live with his family in Orange County, despite the initial wariness of his wife Kirsten (Kelly Rowan). Ryan quickly forms a bond with Sandy's son Seth (Adam Brody), a dorky guy with few friends, who is happy to have a new tough friend who has his back when he runs into trouble with the local bullies.

And then there's Marissa (Mischa Barton), the girl next door. Beautiful but troubled -- the girl certainly likes to drink -- she and Ryan form an instant attraction that only leads to more trouble for Ryan, who's suffering already from being quite the fish out of water. Meanwhile Seth pines away for Marissa's shopping obsessed friend Summer (Rachel Bilson), who's never paid the slightest attention to him. But that's about to change...

I know, I know. It sounds silly and frothy and typical and it was. But it was also funny, well acted and surprisingly engaging. The show's early ace in the hole was Seth, a character very unlike most of the guys you'd find in a show like this. Obsessed with comic books, martial arts movies and videogames, Seth was a geeky fanboy who felt very out of sorts in the world he grew up in. If you're reading IGN, chances are you share many of Seth's interests, and as unlikely as it may have seemed for those not watching, The O.C. quickly became the show with the most and best references to the world of fandom and the only show on TV where you might hear discussions regarding Brian Michael Bendis, Watchmen, Ghost in the Shell and much more. Meanwhile Seth's sense of humor and frequent self-deprecating jokes about both himself and the world the show existed in (and by extension the show itself) provided a frequent reminder that Schwartz and his collaborators were very aware of what they were doing.

While Barton was often the weak link, the cast surrounding her were terrific and did an admirable job of making their characters likeable and sympathetic. Originally intended, respectively, as the nerdy sidekick and an airhead character not even initially part of the opening titles, Brody and Bilson quickly proved to both be so charming and funny, and have such a great chemistry, that Seth & Summer quickly became the pivotal couple on the show for many fans. Gallagher and Rowan meanwhile were so lovable as the parents that it hindered the writers a bit - people liked this couple too much to ever want to see them in too much trouble, which made a lot of your usual soap opera plotlines difficult.

McKenzie was asked to be the brooding straight man, but on this show, even a character like Ryan got to show some surprising and offbeat humorous moments, which the actor clearly had fun with. And Melinda Clarke often stole the show as Julie Cooper, Marissa's self-obsessed mother, who was the most classic soap opera vamp the series offered up. Other notable regular or recurring roles were played by Tate Donovan, Alan Dale, Samaire Armstrong and Chris Carmack, all of whom made an impact. And while Barton might have rightfully faced some criticism, it's impossible to imagine the show without her - Marissa's woe-is-me drama did sometimes test the limits of patience, but it just wouldn't have been The O.C. without it.

The O.C. was an instant success, turning the young cast into teen idols and becoming the show of the day. Suddenly a series that had a lot of fun referencing pop culture was itself a major reference for others to make. Bands name dropped or heard on the show (or seen, after Season 2 introduced a local concert venue) were finding their sales increasing thanks to exposure on the show; the girls' clothing became much sought - The zeitgeist was having an O.C. moment. And yet it all ended pretty quickly.

There were various possibilities for why - There were storylines the fanbase wasn't happy with, not to mention a move to a much more difficult Thursday night timeslot. But for whatever reason, within a couple of years The O.C. not only fell in the ratings, but it fell off the radar. Certainly, Season 3 didn't help, as the show really declined qualitywise, with several ill-conceived plotlines that went on way too long mixed with a decline in the character interaction and comedy elements the fans responded to.

The writing was on the wall that Season 4 was going to be the last, but thankfully, Schwartz rebounded in a big way. After a major and rather shocking plot twist ended Season 3, the show used that event to put the focus back on the main characters and the things about them the fans loved the most. Two new regular cast members, Willa Holland (as Marissa's sister Kaitlin) and Autumn Reeser (as Taylor Townsend), both were welcome additions to the series. Reeser in particular was a real find. Introduced in Season 3 (see, it wasn't all bad), Taylor was sort of Election's Tracy Flick on speed and the writers quickly ran with the character, who could do and say some incredibly funny and odd things.

In its final year the show once more was a real joy to watch each episode. And The O.C. ended on a very sweet and nostalgic note, with a series finale that looked back at the characters past and towards their future in a very literal and surprisingly touching way. It reminded fans that it had been a bumpy ride, but one that had been worth taking.

Score: 8 out of 10

The Video Warner Bros is to be commended here. Almost every "Complete Series" DVD set features the exact same transfers from the separate season box sets, even when notable improvement would have been very welcome - witness the recent Angel and My So-Called Life sets for examples. But here, the entire first season has been remastered and is now in widescreen for the first time. The O.C. was a very attractive show which made great use of its scenic settings, and while subsequent seasons were released in widescreen, it's wonderful to finally get the original (and best) season getting the same treatment.

That being said, like the other seasons, the transfer is a solid but unremarkable one - color contrast is strong, but there are occasional occurrences of grain or digital distortion.

Score: 7 out of 10

The Audio PresentationThe O.C. - The Complete Series features a Dolby Surround track. While a 5.1 track certainly would have been appreciated, overall the sound is strong here. More so than many other series, music is key on The O.C., with the show receiving praise even among detractors for introducing many bands to the mainstream thanks to their songs being featured on the soundtrack. On these discs the various elements are all strong and distinct, without overwhelming the clever dialogue.

English, French and Spanish subtitle options are available on every season.

Score: 8 out of 10

Packaging and Extras Okay, I usually tend to be quick in the "packaging" portion of my DVD reviews, but this one needs some special attention. The O.C.: The Complete Series comes in some truly remarkable packaging. The series is presented in a hardbound book. When pages are open, the right side contains two discs side by side, while the left side consists of listings of each disc and the episodes and extras contained on it, quotes from critics about the show, and also beautiful photos from the series. The entire book comes housed in a thick (and heavy!) plastic sheath it can be kept in for protection. The book has a holographic cover, consisting of the show's title over a shimmering blue image of water.

You have to really see and hold this set to understand how impressive it is to behold. When we received it at the IGN offices several people stopped to admire it, none of whom had ever seen the show before. It's just a very well done and notable way to present a TV series on DVD and really comes off as an especially classy and respectful display.

There's one notable quibble: The book is too wide and heavy to go on a typical DVD shelf, unless it's placed flat with the cover out, in which case it's taking up the space of several DVDs. But really, this is almost a DVD set and coffee table book in one - you're going to want to show your friends this set, so might as well have it off the shelf to begin with!

The book includes a new written introduction from The O.C.'s creator, Josh Schwartz. There's also transcription of a conversation Schwartz and one of the show's executive producers, Stephanie Savage, conducted this August for this collection, in which they reminisce about the show and the highs and lows of creating it. The conversation is a good read for fans.

As for actual extra features and whether there's anything new of note, that actually is a bit complicated. No actual new content was created for this set, but there are two new discs... kind of. This set includes a Season 3 bonus disc only available if you bought that season at Target stores. Plus, there is also a bonus Season 4-centric disc. The content is very solid - additional "Pass the Remote" video commentaries from Josh Schwartz and his collaborators; deleted scenes with introductions from O.C. executive producer Stephanie Schwartz; a featurette focusing on the women of The O.C. that includes cast interviews conducted during Season 4; and the Atomic County animated webisodes, starring the comic book characters created by Seth during Season 2 of the show.

Of course many obsessive O.C. fans might have made sure to get the bonus disc in the first place. If they did, there's not a lot of new content here for them. Plus, it's disappointing not to have a true look back at the series as far as any of the cast members are concerned. But when you take into account getting Season 1 in widescreen for the first time, plus the Schwartz and Savage conversation (even if its in text form, and not on a DVD itself), there are some notable inclusions for fans. But most of all it comes back to that amazing packaging.

While cheaper than the four seasons on their own at full price, this is an expensive set. But as a collection of a memorable TV series and a collectible in its own right, this set is a standout, just in terms of presentation. I normally knock "Complete Series" DVD sets down much lower in this category if there's no new extras, but the combination of the sorta/kinda new bonus discs, the decent material already created for the previous DVDs (commentaries, featurettes, etc.) and most of all the packaging bumps this one up in a big way.

The Verdict

The O.C. was briefly a show that helped define an era - that era being those ancient times known as 2003. At its best, this was a guilty pleasure that managed to transcend the whole guilty pleasure entertainment it delivered by virtue of its wit and charm. Thanks to strong performances and very lovable characters, it's a show that's a pleasure to revisit.

And have I mentioned the packaging? Oh, I did? Because really, it's damn cool.